Fifty-year-old comedy legend Eddie Murphy is clearly aiming to resuscitate his career. He’ll return to classic street-smart fast-talking comedy in the upcoming Tower Heist, has agreed to host the 2012 Oscars ceremony – and has even given thought to performing more stand-up comedy… something he hasn’t done since the late 1980s.
It also appears that Murphy plans to dust off and reprise his Axel Foley persona from the Beverly Hills Cop movies. However, he apparently won’t be doing that in the longtime rumored Beverly Hills Cop 4.
Murphy sat down recently with Rolling Stone for an interview, where he talked about several subjects of interest related to his career – including the future (or lack thereof) of the Beverly Hills Cop film franchise. The actor admitted to the publication that a “fourquel” is simply not going to happen… and with good reason.
Here’s what Murphy had to say about Beverly Hills Cop IV, in his own words:
“They’re not doing it… None of the movie scripts were right; it was trying to force the premise. If you have to force something, you shouldn’t be doing it. It was always a rehash of the old thing. It was always wrong.”
However, it seems that a Beverly Hills Cop TV series spinoff is now on the menu. Murphy says that he is up to produce the show, which would revolve around a new generation of anti-authoritative police officer: namely, Foley’s son. Murphy would still play the elder Foley, who has become Detroit’s chief of police.
Whether the Beverly Hills Cop show could be an edgier cable TV comedy-action series that’s more in the vein of the original BHC trilogy – or be a more audience-friendly show on a regular television channel – is a question that remains unanswered for now.
The “new generation” plot setup that Murphy is talking about for the Beverly Hills Cop franchise has not yet proven itself to be a successful approach for films. Case in point: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull failed to convince moviegoers that having anyone but Harrison Ford’s famous archaeologist in the lead was a good idea. That’s not to mention the trepidation surrounding the perennially-delayed Ghostbusters 3, which likewise is said to feature a “passing the torch” storyline.
Television shows, by comparison, have somewhat of a mixed track record with that approach. While there have been several different popular incarnations of Star Trek on TV, relatively recent short-lived spinoff shows like Joey or Scrubs: Interns have demonstrated that removing a key ingredient (namely, the ensemble cast) can break a franchise. Seeing how Beverly Hills Cop is pretty much defined by Murphy’s performance as Foley, it’s hard to not suspect that a “new generation” BHC would probably fail.
Nonetheless, we will keep you posted on the status of the Beverly Hills Cop TV show are more information is released (or, rather, as Murphy talks about it more).
Source: Rolling Stone
Ryan Reynolds Drops Out of 'Highlander' Reboot 
No Loki in 'Avengers 2' 
'Man of Steel' Director & Writer on What Has to Happen in 'Man of Steel 2' 
'Man of Steel' Ending Controversy 
Hard to make a call on this one. If Foley’s son turns out to be just a clone of Foley himself that would be disappointing. But if he’s not as funny as Foley then that would be equally as disappointing.
Too much time has passed. I don’t think it’ll do well or be funny.
Charlie’s Angels (TV reboot), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Scrubs, V, The Three Musketeers, and countless others– all stories that have tried to revitalize older stuff, most of the time with the idea of a “new generation”, have failed commercially, and often times critically. Very few reboots actually do well, and they seem to be doing worse as the years go on. When is Hollywood going to learn? Stuff like this needs to STOP.
I’d give it a shot…but only if Judge Reinhold makes a cameo appearance on a weekly basis.
I’d give it a chance but if the show gets picked it up has to be for cable.
I seen Kevin hart got offered the part
Kevin Hart definately has the timing for the part, but he doesn’t has the thing thatthe younger Murphy had in the original movies…..A conviencing street smart presence, and ability to handle himself in any situation. I like Kevin Hart and there’s a ton of things he could be great in, but not as a younger version of Murphy. There might be someone out there who would fit the bill, but is there really a need? I mean part of the charm of the original movies is a street smart wise cracking cop working in a very conservative setting and getting the local cops to loosen up a bit….Since then there’s been several series about cops going into situations where they’re the odd man out and the premis becomes the old “How opposits attract”….
I know that because there’s been thousands of movies and series over the years that it’s tought to come up with new material…..But this attempt to keep dragging up old shows that were a hit FOR THEIR TIME just doesn’t come across as ver sucessful…..Now some spin offs like those of Star Trek (as mentioned in the article) worked because they were totally different situations where the primary connection was humans doing space exploration….
Ah man. Hey I’ve got it they could just have Billy Rosewood(Judge Rheinhold) go to Detroit to work with Axle Foley(Murphy) on a case. See we keep the characters and just switch the setting around.
Better yet…Rosewood’s kid comes to Detroit and gets stuck with Foley’s by-the-book, “not-gonna-fall-for-the-banana-in-the-tailpipe” son.
Dibs on the story concept copyright!
Cool. I guess.
Armie Hammer as Billy Rosewood?
If its on HBO, it’ll work
Agree !
Hmm actually interested in this 1
Wouldn’t it be more advantageous for him to reboot an interesting, yet poorly executed premise like the Golden Child into a weekly series?
Axel Foley is a one off, only Eddie Murphy in his prime could pull it off, we all saw how bad BHC 3 was when 1 & 2 were classics – think it is the same as Robocop, it just happened at the right time and place to be a classic. Try re-booting something else or make a sequal where Axel gets shot in Detriot and a by-the-book detective has to go over from LA as it ties into another case, put him together with a street smart wisecracking detective with a deathwish (one black and one white of course) and ‘hey presto’ you have rebooted BHC and Lethal Weapon at the same time!! Got to love Hollywood right now with their VERY lazy writers.
Interesting….call it “Lethal Beverly Hills Weapon”
Watch this space, someone will do it and we must have some claim on the profits!! If it makes any of course!
Did you see my earlier post?
danlister-6 days ago: “Better yet…Rosewood’s kid comes to Detroit and gets stuck with Foley’s by-the-book, “not-gonna-fall-for-the-banana-in-the-tailpipe” son. Dibs on the story concept copyright!”
If it’s a sitcom, that’s going to disappoint the fans especially if Foley’s son is certainly a not-so-funny Beverly Hills detective.